On a narrow and treacherous winding dirt road in the middle of the mountainous Fódlan’s Fangs, a small-scale battle is taking place.

A group of roughly one hundred bandits has preyed upon this area for years, and once again they are going after a wealthy-seeming carriage passing through.

What they didn’t anticipate, however, is the might of the hired mercenaries defending the vehicle.

Immediately after they revealed themselves, they knew they had messed up. What should have been the usual roadside robbery turned into an all-out battle for their lives, and they were losing. Badly.

In the midst of the chaos, a small boy darts around the battlefield using his longknife to debilitate any unsuspecting rogue he comes across. His short stature and unusual speed making it easy for him to go unnoticed by most until it is too late.

Steel hammers against steel as the unorganized bandits rush forward towards the unified formation of mercenaries in a desperate attempt to either escape or take as many down as they can.

Amidst this carnage, Byleth maneuvers throughout the battleground, slicing at the legs of occupied enemies or the throats of ones lying on the ground.

Screams and blood fill the air as one rogue’s cheap leather armor fails to prevent a gleaming axe from tearing into his side, while another takes an arrow to the knee, collapsing to the ground.

Despite it all, the youth stays locked in on his goal of enfeebling and finishing those he can. Dashing in the direction of yet another would-be victim, he suddenly leaps to the side as a warhammer comes crashing down right where he would have been, impacting the ground with a loud thud.

Glancing to the side he sees a hulking and stocky brute of a man charging at him with an enraged expression.

Calmly examining the approaching figure, he hears a distinct whistle in the background and crouches low, waiting as an arrow comes flying across the air and stabs into the rogue’s back.

Stumbling due to the sudden blow, he fails to react as the adolescent nimbly leaps up and streaks his blade across his throat in a quick and effortless fashion. Blood spills out of the man’s neck like a waterfall, but the perpetrator has already moved on, searching for his next prey.

A couple of minutes later, the battle is finished.

The attacking bandit group formerly comprised of some seventy odd men is left with only twelve in moderate stages of injury. By comparison, The New Dawn Mercenaries have just eight casualties, a testament to their skill to be sure considering their smaller size, but unfortunate nonetheless.

Zane leisurely sits on his armored horse with a beautifully carved bow slung over his shoulder and an easy smile, watching as his men begin to clean up the battlefield.

Every now and then his attention wanders to the child walking amidst the gore, seemingly unfazed by it. As if sensing the gaze, the youth turns his head and locks eyes with the ginger, exchanging a small nod.

Moving on he comes to a stop beside his father and surveys the captured bandits.

As his blank cobalt eyes run over them, several shrink back from his gaze with pale faces. Those that had witnessed the boy before them on the battlefield are absolutely scared shitless.

It’s one thing to see two grown men fighting to the death, but another thing entirely to see a child do the same. The few who saw what had happened feel a chill up their spine recalling the expressionless and bloody face he had when slicing through man after man, never pausing, never resting.

“You did well Byleth, I’m proud of you. Why don’t you go and get yourself cleaned up while I deal with these guys here.”

Glancing at Jeralt, he nods and makes his way towards a well-maintained cart loaded with supplies.

On the way, several of the mercenaries give him a wide berth and he can hear them murmuring about him like usual. “… monster…” “…freak…” “…demon…”

Listening to all of these different mutterings, he can’t help but feel a small but sharp pain in his gut. On the outside though, he seems as passive as always.

“Hey! What are you guys doing? Get back to work unless you want extra drills when we make camp!”

Riding over is Zane with an angry expression on his face as he yells at the ones seemingly whispering about the youth.

Hopping off of his horse he ruffles the boy’s hair with a warm smile. “Don’t listen to them buddy, what they say doesn’t matter, you did great. Tell you what, why don’t we get a treat once we arrive at the next town? Out of my pocket of course.”

Looking at the ginger, the cobalt eyed juvenile once again does his favorite gesture, the nod. “Sure, thanks.”

Happy that he elicited a verbal response, the youthful deputy flashes another smile prior to turning towards the slackers and scowling once more, continuing to berate them.

After collecting the bodies, the various items strewn around, and restraining the prisoners, they continue on their way escorting a large white carriage which contains a wealthy couple.

A portion of the group stays behind to find and loot the remaining bandits and their hideout under the direction of Zane, but other than that everyone is with the caravan.

Seated in front of Jeralt on his powerful warhorse, Byleth lets his thoughts drift.

It’s been a year ever since he had the encounter with the girl in his dreams and since then he hasn’t had even a single such out of body experience, quite the strange ordeal for him who has had dreams every night for as long as he can remember.

Aside from that, over the past year he’s trained his little butt off every single day. He endured near hellish training for the sake of improving his handling of bladed weapons and hand-to-hand combat.

Also, with him now accompanying his father and Zane on their jobs he grew accustomed to the battlefield: the chaos, the gore, the flow of it. He adjusted to it all and began studying tactics under his father’s watch, and as was expected at this point, he soaked up the knowledge like a sponge.

His intellect especially drew Zane’s attention who began to school him on more ‘standard’ subjects such as mathematics, language arts, geography, history, and more. How the young man mastered such a diverse array of academic material and similarly expects a young child to understand any of it is anyone’s guess, but of course, Byleth can’t exactly be compared to children his age either, so he’s just as strange.

Beginning several months ago, and through much pestering, he was allowed to take part in battles under the strict supervision of Zane at all times.

He started out slow of course, but it soon became clear that he truly is a prodigy in the art of combat and so he quickly became more involved. His father wasn’t exactly happy at first but soon relented because he knew that his son would be relatively safe with Zane watching his back and also didn’t want to deny him of one of the few things he’s ever wanted or asked for.

The ginger and mercenary captain had many long nightly discussions regarding the appropriateness of it all but Jeralt is stumbling through fatherhood without anyone to guide him and so he just went with what he knows and feels comfortable with.

His own temperament, life experiences, and the company he keeps aren’t helpful either. The New Dawn Mercenaries are entirely comprised of men, as Jeralt has an aversion towards hiring women - another fact that hasn’t helped the poor handling of raising a child.

Overall, the last year has been a major period of growth for the young Eisner, and one might say, the end to his innocence, although he is still very much a child despite what his blood-stained hands might say.

***

A few days later, Zane and Byleth are walking around the town markets. They can feel a rare slight chill in the air but just looking at their surroundings, that factor obviously didn’t detract from the sheer amount of people browsing amongst the open stalls.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

It’s a lively atmosphere as countless vendors advertise their wares and customers haggle prices. This particular town is situated right by the ocean, on the very edge of Fódlan close to Brigid, so there is also the unique smell of the sea permeating the area.

Walking down the bustling streets, Zane plans to make good on his earlier promise and buy the youth something he ought to enjoy. The silent boy only watches as the ginger goes up to a particular stall and speaks in a language he can’t understand, purchasing a mysterious white box while being careful not to reveal what is inside.

As the pair are walking back toward their current lodgings, the teal-haired adolescent decides to ask a question, “You know other languages?”

Zane puts on a bright smile as he answers, “Sure do, you could say it’s a passion of mine, learning about the cultures outside of Fódlan. The language I spoke earlier was Tuatha, the language of Brigid, which is a small country not too far from here across the sea.”

Looking down, he gazes at the youth for a moment seeming to ponder something. “…Would you maybe want to learn? I know you don’t like to speak that much but learning a language can be quite fun. Also, it couldn’t hurt to know more, especially in this profession. I know Fódlan isn’t the most inclusive, but diversity is still good for business.”

Thinking about the question, he looks around the surroundings.

Many of the people here have slightly darker skin and other foreign features. It’s a far cry from the majority of Fódlan where everyone generally has a fair complexion and relatively similar aesthetics.

Listening in, he can hear several discussions in that same foreign language. It reminds him of his dreams, he would often see different peoples and hear their strange tongues, but this is the first time he’s encountered it while awake.

Ultimately, he decides it could be an interesting break from his usual studies and sees that Zane is eagerly listening for his answer.

Byleth eventually nods, “Sure, thank you.”

The ginger laughs happily, “Well then, I guess that’s another subject I’ll work into our schedule. This is gonna be great, maybe we can brush up on my other languages too!”

The rest of the way to the local boarding house he continues speaking to the stoic child, who will occasionally nod or use single-word responses.

After a lengthy walk amongst the streets of the vibrant coastal town, the duo arrives at their temporary lodging. It’s a fairly large inn occupying a space directly next to the ocean. This area is also a ways from the docks so it’s rather quiet and peaceful in the surrounding area.

Walking into the building, Zane leads the boy towards a back room of the common area, passing by a few other guests. The two stop in front of a pair of closed doors and the ginger motions for him to go inside.

As Byleth walks through the doors he hears a loud greeting, “Happy Birthday!”

Gathered in the room is the entire New Dawn Mercenary Group. The youth simply silently stands there surveying the room, taking notice of a few disguised looks of disgust and contempt before his father comes up and rustles his hair while chuckling, smelling slightly of alcohol.

“Did you forget about your birthday kid? Come on let’s eat!”

They aren’t celebrating any particular age, but rather the event of his birth in general, it’s a bit odd but that’s how Jeralt wants it.

As he is about to lead his son to a table full of food, his deputy interjects with a teasing voice, “You say that as if you actually remembered his birthday. I distinctly recall you saying that you were going to get blackout drunk at the tavern until I reminded you of the occasion.”

Jeralt rubs the back of his head and laughs nervously, “Yeah well that was… yeah… I was just testing your memory, making sure you didn’t forget.”

Saying so he quickly drags his son over to the food causing Zane to shake his head with an easy smile.

It’s been more than half a decade since he met the father and son that welcomed him into their lives. They’ve given him what he was looking for all those years ago, a proper family, people that can accept him for who he is and what he wants to do. They gave him a place to belong, a place where he can truly be himself, a place free of burdens he doesn’t want or need…

His life prior to becoming a mercenary wasn’t bad by any means, but it simply wasn’t the life for him. He remembers feeling hopeless that he would have to enter into that world of fake niceties and veiled threats, where the real you must typically hide behind a mask.

Shaking his head with a sigh, the ginger looks at his fierce leader trying to get his son to drink and dance with him. ‘This is where I belong. Some day I’ll return to that life, but for now… for now I’ll embrace this one for as long as I possibly can.’

With a smile he walks over to the fumbling duo, planning to enjoy the festivities.

***

Later that night, Byleth is sitting on the sandy beach staring at the gentle waves as they lap against the shore.

It’s been a long day for him and despite the usual aches and pains he still feels rather warm inside. Grabbing at his waist he pulls out the gift his father and Zane had given him.

It’s a beautiful dagger with a black grip and styled gold for the cross-guard and pommel. There’s also a small golden sun on the bottom of the grip. The blade is covered in a clean dark blue sheath that once again has a bit of gold where it meets the cross-guard, forming what almost appears to be a shooting star when covering the knife.

Removing the sheath, the boy stares at his reflection in the beautiful and dangerous blade.

The soft light from the full horsebow moon shines down to illuminate his figure, creating a picturesque scene. Only he knows what he’s thinking as he gazes at his reflection for several minutes before sheathing the dagger and putting it on his belt.

Deciding to spend the night by the water he lays back and watches the dazzling stars while slowly falling asleep. In the process of drifting into dreamland, the lad manages to glimpse an especially bright star seemingly pulse with light for a moment as his vision goes dark.

Opening his eyes, all that Byleth can see around him is darkness, but’s it’s a comfortable obscurity, not the suffocating sort.

Rising to his feet he checks his body and finding nothing wrong, proceeds to walk in a random direction. He walks for a fairly long time and still sees absolutely nothing in his surroundings, so he continues moving forward.

Soon, a strange feeling begins to rise in his chest and he suddenly manages to make out a faint green light in the distance. Rapidly approaching it, he sees the same thing he saw about a year ago, the sleeping girl.

The same as last time, he begins to feel unfamiliar and powerful emotions compelling him to move toward her. ‘Will I be able to reach her this time?’ this thought goes through his mind as he reaches out to touch her.

Hearing his distinct pulse pounding in his ears, the emotions threaten to overwhelm him as he stares transfixed at her face.

As his hand nears her it is suddenly blocked by a translucent glowing barrier. No matter how hard he tries he cannot move forwards, but the tumultuous sensitivities within continue to direct him towards her despite the obstacle.

As he pushes on the barrier, he suddenly sees the girl fidget ever so slightly in her sleep as she opens her mouth and whispers in a languid tone, “…It is not yet… time to… begin…”

He freezes as he hears her voice. It’s absolutely mesmerizing, akin to sweet music to his ears, and it only serves to further ignite the strange emotions in his chest that drive him forward.

His attempts at defying the shield surrounding her continue for a few moments more until he hears another voice from behind him.

“You won’t be able to reach her like that.”

Strangely, as soon as he hears the new voice the intense feelings die down a bit, still present but lessened. Sighing softly as he regains some degree of control, he turns around to face the newcomer.

Standing there is a youthful-looking man with glowing green hair and eyes, his whole body letting off a faint light that harmonizes with the one surrounding the fairy-like girl.

Cocking his head, the child can’t help but feel as if he knows him but is positive that he’s never seen him before.

“Who are you?”

The figure softly smiles at him and takes a moment to respond, “A good question, but not one that I can give a satisfactory answer to. Ultimately, who I am, or rather who I was, isn’t important Byleth. I do, however, want to apologize for the emotions you’ve been feeling. It seems that despite my best attempts, a fragment of myself was attached to the power that was merged with you.”

He then goes to stand side by side with the curious lad and turns his gaze to the sleeping figure. His eyes adopt a certain gentle warmth as he takes in her visage for a while before looking down at the boy next to him.

“Even though I didn’t intend for this, I suppose it’s rather fortunate I’m here to help, don’t you think? Now then, how about we get you past this barrier so our sleepy head here can finally wake up.”

The teal-haired youth looks at the man for a moment, as if in thought, then nods in acceptance.

Despite the numerous questions swirling in his mind, none of them seem to matter in the face of what they’re about to do. Not to mention that he feels strangely comfortable around this enigmatical figure, the need to be wary of them virtually nonexistent.

The mysterious individual then places his hand over Byleth’s as they begin to push on the barrier together.

The youth soon adopts a glow similar to the man as the light from the girl increases in strength, the two mixing and merging with each other as the barrier begins to give way. Suddenly, the ward explodes into hundreds of floating translucent shards that slowly fade away along with the now combined luminescence.

The two share similar grins with one another as they see the barrier disappear leaving the way to her open.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” the stranger then looks to the youthful maiden peacefully sleeping, seemingly undisturbed by the former events, “I entrust her to you.”

After several moments, he releases a long sigh and turns back to face his younger accomplice, slowly beginning to dissipate.

“Your road from here on out will be perilous and suffused with adversity. Even with all of your gifts and talents, never be complacent, for a greater danger than you can imagine lies waiting for you on the horizon. Hold your loved ones close and carve a new future, one where the light of dawn will greet only peace.”

With those final ominous words of advice, the mysterious man vanishes, leaving the boy and girl alone, free of any and all obstacles between them.

Byleth stares at the space where the person’s figure disappeared, his final message echoing in his mind before lightly shaking his head.

‘I don’t know who he was but I’m thankful all the same.’

Pushing away thoughts of the strange encounter for later, he’s curious to see what will finally happen and finds himself standing in front of the girl once more. The emotions regarding her that suffused his being are still present but now manageable even after the disappearance of the stranger.

Reaching out, his hand finally makes it to her as he lightly caresses her cheek, surprised by the softness of her flawless skin and another sudden feeling.

The moment he touched her it was as if something inside of him changed, like some piece that he didn’t know was missing had now returned to him. Being near her… it feels right… feels good.

As he slowly and gently strokes her face, her eyelids begin to flutter open and a cute yawn escapes her adorable thin lips. She blinks up at him with cloudy eyes as she rubs her head deeper into his palm and speaks in a dreamy voice, “There you are my love.”